Get a 3 pound slab of sirloin- 2-3 inches thick is best. Personally, I also prefer a little personality; grass fed beef may be a tad tougher and less marbled, but I prefer the taste and its MUCH healthier for you. Slather it with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Maybe a chili flake or two if you want some spice. Sear it crusty on each side on a cast-iron skillet that is hot as hell- 1-3 minutes usually works. Transfer to the oven at 300 or so and bake it for 15-40 minutes (longer for more done, but I prefer shorter).

At 15 minutes, you'll get a thick piece of meat that is crusty on the outside, yet warm and bloody on the inside. It'll feed 6-10 people easily, or can be re-heated for steak and eggs, steak sandwiches, etc. You can also toss some potatoes into the skillet on the way to the oven- they'll soak up some of the oil and blood that the steak releases.

pkellmey:Lsherm: myth #11 - charcoal is better than gas. Most people can't get charcoal to provide even temperature, so the steak cooks unevenly. Gas is better.

I am not saying charcoal or gas is better, but if you are used to doing it, there is nothing preventing an even temperature and you can get a different flavor from the meat. So, no myth here if you prefer charcoal flavor differences. I have no problem with either method of cooking because steak is awesome.

It's an old argument. I thought this was interesting, from the Art and Science of Cooking, Vol 2

Basically, charcoal sears better. Duh.

Pardon the formatting, I'm lazy.

As the hot gases travel from the flame to theradiating surface, they mix with cooler surrounding air. That mixing makes it difficult to raise thetemperature of the radiant emitters in a gas grill tomuch higher than about 800 •c I 1,500 •F-agood 300 ·c I 500 •F below the radiant temperature of glowing charcoal. That is a large differencein effective temperature, and it has a disproportionate effect on radiant heating power.So although a gas grill at full tilt may produce5 Wlcm2(110 BTUih. in2) of radiant heat, acharcoal grill can easily deliver more than twice thisheat flux, or about 11 Wlcm2(250 BTUih · in2). Theawesome radiance of glowing coals is what givescharcoal grills their unrivaled ability to sear in aflash.

abhorrent1:Myth #1: "You should let a thick steak rest at room temperature before you cook it."The Reality: While it's true that slowly bringing a steak up to its final serving temperature will promote more even cooking.

And that's where I stopped reading. Does this farking person know what "Myth" means?

You should have kept reading. He explains that the amount of heating that occurs within 20 minutes of resting at room temp brings the inside of the steak a mere 2 degrees closer to being done. So 20 minutes does nothing interms of thawing.

juvandy:Myth #12342: the only way to cook a good steak is on the grill.

In my current living situation I can't do much grilling.

My preferred method for cooking steak is to season it with salt and pepper and then sear in a hot skillet. I then transfer it to a broiler pan with a drip tray in a hot oven. Once I'm 5 degrees lower than my target internal temp I put the oven to broil for a few minutes. Sometimes I add BBQ sauce but for a decent cut of meat I don't like to put anything on it. When the steak is almost done I reheat the skillet with the steak juices from searing still in it and add a little butter and some sliced onion and cook until they are my preferred texture. I'm not a fan of mushrooms but you can also do this with fungus if you like.

letting the steak come to room temp really has nothing to do with cooking faster as it does with the proteins and fibers of the meat. if you are seeing steam coming from your steak as youre searing then it might not be hot enough.cooking steak doesnt have to be a big ordeal. i do it like this and it always come out great.i only buy my steaks fresh right before i cook them. pre heat oven to 400. i rinse quickly. a lil olive oil both sides. kosher salt and pepper both sides to taste. let a pan get nice and hot on the stove. throw the steak on and let it sear till it gets a nice crust. i check using tongs to see if the crust is nice. then flip to the other side till it gets a crust as well. then right in the oven for a few mins. take out, let it rest a few mins (by the time i get the wine and other stuff ready) sit, eat, enjoy. perfect everytime. rare to med rare

I was at the grocery store looking for munchies while watching a baseball game at a buddies palce, and they wanted $8.99 for a dozen cold, pre-cooked, chicken wings, with a boring/typical buffalo sauce. This seemed ridiculous to me, so I walked over to the meat dept. and they had New York Strips for $8.99/lb. I couldn't believe a 1lb NYS cost the same as a dozen lame-ass wings...easiest decision ever as far as which one to buy.

/Cooked in a cast-iron skillet, montreal seasoning blend in the hot pan and on the meat, medium rare. Rested 5 minutes, no sauce.//Good decision

my_cats_breath_smells_like_cat_food:I was at the grocery store looking for munchies while watching a baseball game at a buddies palce, and they wanted $8.99 for a dozen cold, pre-cooked, chicken wings, with a boring/typical buffalo sauce. This seemed ridiculous to me, so I walked over to the meat dept. and they had New York Strips for $8.99/lb. I couldn't believe a 1lb NYS cost the same as a dozen lame-ass wings...easiest decision ever as far as which one to buy.

/Cooked in a cast-iron skillet, montreal seasoning blend in the hot pan and on the meat, medium rare. Rested 5 minutes, no sauce.//Good decision

yea theres a key food by me in queens the sells 1" thick first cut rib eyes bone in that we get all the time for like 7-8 bucks a piece.

Lsherm:myth #11 - charcoal is better than gas. Most people can't get charcoal to provide even temperature, so the steak cooks unevenly. Gas is better.

Blasphemy! Gas is for people too lazy to clean a grill after they've used it. If you're going to cook steaks with gas, you may as well do it indoors on a stove. As for charcoal not providing even temperature, if great-great-grandma could cook on a stove fueled by chunks of wood, then by gawd, you can learn to cook with chunks of charcoal. Also, flaaaaavor does not come from gas.

This guy is full of shiat. He has contradicted several things touted by certified chefs, and I saw nothing to indicate that he is one. Also, My flip-a-holic father made awful steaks I could barely choke down when I was a kid. When I make them and turn them only once, they are good.

uncoveror:This guy is full of shiat. He has contradicted several things touted by certified chefs, and I saw nothing to indicate that he is one. Also, My flip-a-holic father made awful steaks I could barely choke down when I was a kid. When I make them and turn them only once, they are good.

This guy is a former test cook for ATK and his methodology is sound. His conclusion, if you had bothered to read with an open mind, is that flipping doesn't hurt, but not flipping also doesn't hurt. Neither method is a panacea for creating great steaks.

Also, he throws his methodology right out there - it's not like you can't go repeat his experiments if you think he's full of shiat, instead of appealing to authorities who do not show any indication of testing the voodoo that was handed down to them during their apprenticeships.

WordyGrrl:Lsherm: myth #11 - charcoal is better than gas. Most people can't get charcoal to provide even temperature, so the steak cooks unevenly. Gas is better.

Blasphemy! Gas is for people too lazy to clean a grill after they've used it. If you're going to cook steaks with gas, you may as well do it indoors on a stove. As for charcoal not providing even temperature, if great-great-grandma could cook on a stove fueled by chunks of wood, then by gawd, you can learn to cook with chunks of charcoal. Also, flaaaaavor does not come from gas.

It's not even difficult to get even heat. Spread the coals out and put the farking lid back on. That way you cook the whole steak and absorb the flavor from the coals. Seriously, not difficult. A thick 1.5-2lb steak takes 4 minutes per side, rest for 5 minutes, eat (with a bottle of wine as a side, along with some fresh corn cooked on the cob and pretzel rolls). If it's under 1.5lbs or a bit thinner, I'll generally go about 3.5 minutes per side.

I do rub it down with olive oil and fresh-cracked black pepper (not too much, just enough for seasoning). I also do warm them up to room temp, but I do that by purchasing fresh cut steak from the meat department and letting it sit on the counter for a few hours, not the 20 minutes they're talking about.

WordyGrrl:Lsherm: myth #11 - charcoal is better than gas. Most people can't get charcoal to provide even temperature, so the steak cooks unevenly. Gas is better.

Blasphemy! Gas is for people too lazy to clean a grill after they've used it. If you're going to cook steaks with gas, you may as well do it indoors on a stove. As for charcoal not providing even temperature, if great-great-grandma could cook on a stove fueled by chunks of wood, then by gawd, you can learn to cook with chunks of charcoal. Also, flaaaaavor does not come from gas.

hubiestubert:The poke test comment is 3/4 right. It depends on the cut, it depends on several factors, but experience tells, and yeah, I do a poke test, but then again, I cook steaks a bit more often than most folks. A professional's experience though, sometimes you do a sneak and peek, if you're not as familiar with the cut, or you have a fairly large piece, then a thermometer is your friend. A New York isn't the same as a ribeye, and they cook slightly differently, and you have to practice a bit to get to know the feel, and it doesn't hurt to know the cut, and if you're the one doing the butchery, that helps. I cut a lot of ribeye and New Yorks, and each slab is a bit different, and it comes down to experience and knowing the cut to do a poke test. It's not so cut and dried as folks seem to think.

For some reason, this reminds me of the time our kitchen had hired some shiny new kids out of chef's school who spent the better part of the day constantly poking an entire rib primal with their fingers. The head chef spent his valuable time leaning against the counter and laughing his ass off at these weird little creatures. It turns out, he put them up to it by telling them that "real" chefs can check doneness on a prime rib by poking it.

I miss that job.

/He also had a policy that if you ever used the term "flavor profile," you had to clean the grease traps without any gloves.

Been cooking excellent steaks for over 30 years and I have to say that list is laughable.

.1 DO let your steak reach room temp before cooking.2 Meh.3 Meh.4 Meh.5 Salt and pepper only, added about 10 to 15 minutes before cooking..6a Do NOT use a fork to turn your steak..6b Do not cut your steak to check it, learn to poke it with your finger.7. See 6b

Psycoholic_Slag:Been cooking excellent steaks for over 30 years and I have to say that list is laughable.

.1 DO let your steak reach room temp before cooking.2 Meh.3 Meh.4 Meh.5 Salt and pepper only, added about 10 to 15 minutes before cooking..6a Do NOT use a fork to turn your steak..6b Do not cut your steak to check it, learn to poke it with your finger.7. See 6b

The thing about cooking steak is to figure out what works for you, not everyone else. What tastes good to you. Figure that out, repeat. I may try the salting thing, just for a change, this weekend. However, I actually like the taste of straight steak cooked on hickory charcoal (no damned lighter fluid, either - I light my coals in a chimney with just newspaper to get them going).

ronaprhys:Psycoholic_Slag: Been cooking excellent steaks for over 30 years and I have to say that list is laughable.

.1 DO let your steak reach room temp before cooking.2 Meh.3 Meh.4 Meh.5 Salt and pepper only, added about 10 to 15 minutes before cooking..6a Do NOT use a fork to turn your steak..6b Do not cut your steak to check it, learn to poke it with your finger.7. See 6b

The thing about cooking steak is to figure out what works for you, not everyone else. What tastes good to you. Figure that out, repeat. I may try the salting thing, just for a change, this weekend. However, I actually like the taste of straight steak cooked on hickory charcoal (no damned lighter fluid, either - I light my coals in a chimney with just newspaper to get them going).

Of course. I don't even follow my own rules all the time but it's a guideline. The worse thing you can do is overcook the poor steak. Now I'm craving steak.

pkellmey:greggm59: This article is written by Kenji, the self-appointed expert on how to cook everything. Ignore, there's nothing of value here.

You obviously DNRTFA.

That's true, as I stopped reading his stuff a couple of years ago. It was annoying with his constantly describing everything he makes as " the "ultimate," "greatest," "best" and other such self-congratulatory superlatives. The America's Test Kitchen influence in that regard is obvious. I can also do without pictures of his dog on a regular basis. The Daily Puppy doesn't have pictures of food, so why are updates of his dog so often featured on Serious Eats, other than to read the fawning comments of readers that inevitably follow?

hubiestubert:The poke test comment is 3/4 right. It depends on the cut, it depends on several factors, but experience tells, and yeah, I do a poke test, but then again, I cook steaks a bit more often than most folks. A professional's experience though, sometimes you do a sneak and peek, if you're not as familiar with the cut, or you have a fairly large piece, then a thermometer is your friend. A New York isn't the same as a ribeye, and they cook slightly differently, and you have to practice a bit to get to know the feel, and it doesn't hurt to know the cut, and if you're the one doing the butchery, that helps. I cut a lot of ribeye and New Yorks, and each slab is a bit different, and it comes down to experience and knowing the cut to do a poke test. It's not so cut and dried as folks seem to think.

Psycoholic_Slag:Of course. I don't even follow my own rules all the time but it's a guideline. The worse thing you can do is overcook the poor steak. Now I'm craving steak.

I'm in the midst of a dissolution right now and one of the things I reinstituted in my newly-single life is steak night. It's very simple:

- I used hickory charcoal. I can't remember the brand, but it's in the grocery in a green bag (Kingsford?). I could use lump charcoal, but that's just too much of a pain for me.-Steaks come from the butcher's section in my grocery. Typically strips or porterhouses, depending on the sale. 1.1 to 1.5lbs, about 1.25" thick-As noted, they sit on my counter to warm up to room temp prior to anything happening.-Once warmed and right after I start the coals, I rub the whole thing down with olive oil and put a decent coat of fresh cracked black pepper on it. As a side note, I think I'll try sea salt on it first, let it sit, then the olive oil/pepper treatment this week.-As noted, grilling is 3.5-4 minutes per side, with a 5 minute rest-sides would be two ears of sweet corn, pretzel rolls, cheese (I've got a thing for cheese), and a bottle of wine - typically a nice cab that's been aged in oak.

The rationale behind turning it only once is that each time you pick it up with tongs and turn it over it toughens the meat. When I was a teenager i was trained by an really good, very cool old chef - you turned steaks once, and only with your fingers. You kept a bowl of cold water nearby to dip your fingers in before turning them.

happydude45:The rationale behind turning it only once is that each time you pick it up with tongs and turn it over it toughens the meat. When I was a teenager i was trained by an really good, very cool old chef - you turned steaks once, and only with your fingers. You kept a bowl of cold water nearby to dip your fingers in before turning them.

0/10

Devoid of culinary science and you over played the "wise old sage" card.

Hmmm -- lots of pansies who insist on cooking their meat to some temperature so they dont get sick...

I cant recall ever having gotten sick from steak -- turkey yes but steak never. And i'm a good alberta boy from a farm -- steak was and still is a regualr food and its not crazy to have it once or twice a week during the summer.

Mmmm -- Let me tell you -- wood fire works the best -- the flames spit up at the dripping fat just right to melt and render it all -- not a touch of gristly chew crap. I cant tell you how much i hate seeing someone slice the fatty edge off their steak. Tragic. Its the best damn part if you do it right...

Dont flip your steak over and over -- 99% of people will jab a fork or something in the meat to do so and putting holes in it while its cooking is just draining it of juice. The heat is going to push all the juices through those holes every time you make them so dont do it.

As for bringing it up to temperature -- take it out of the fridge in the morning -- salt and pepper the meat portion lightly and the white fatty parts very heavily. Then wrap it in saran (tight) and leave it on the counter on a plate. The salt needs time to move through the meat and the fat is packed with water and the salt needs time to draw that out. Moisture is what makes that fatty part so tough and you can turn it into the best damn part of your steak by treating it carefully with extra salt. It will also render better leaving it healthier.

And honestly -- dont worry about the internal temperature. Just cook it how you like it. If you cant do that like an old hand then cook more steakums. I know i know -- ecoli or some crap will kill me. Well frankly store bought greens seem to be the bigger culprit in killing people by ecoli and nobody suggests cooking them to the right temp...

Seriously -- use steakunms -- Go buy a cheap pack of stewing beef and cook it peice by peice on a cast iron pan. Have some good dipping sauces ready (they are stew beef chunks -- not ribeye -- sauce is alright here) practice searing those little guys one by one and then eating while you go. Practice makes perfect and stew beef is cheap and when you sear it up in a really hot cast iron they come out like tiny steaks.

Unless you work in a restaurant dont worry about the internal temp. Just grill the sob and if its too cooked then next time cook it less. And if its undercooked you can throw it back on the grill or into the oven for a bit. But i wouldn't. Learn to appreciate undercooked steak. After awhile you wont consider it undercooked - its 'perfect'

happydude45:The rationale behind turning it only once is that each time you pick it up with tongs and turn it over it toughens the meat. When I was a teenager i was trained by an really good, very cool old chef - you turned steaks once, and only with your fingers. You kept a bowl of cold water nearby to dip your fingers in before turning them.

If you wrap bacon on the end of your tongs, you don't ruin the taste with your stinky man-digits or risk burning your finger tips.

Coach_J:happydude45: The rationale behind turning it only once is that each time you pick it up with tongs and turn it over it toughens the meat. When I was a teenager i was trained by an really good, very cool old chef - you turned steaks once, and only with your fingers. You kept a bowl of cold water nearby to dip your fingers in before turning them.

0/10

Devoid of culinary science and you over played the "wise old sage" card.

But he had to lug buckets of brine up an impossibly tall staircase every St. Patrick's day to prepare the corned beef.

mikefinch:Hmmm -- lots of pansies who insist on cooking their meat to some temperature so they dont get sick...

I cant recall ever having gotten sick from steak -- turkey yes but steak never. And i'm a good alberta boy from a farm -- steak was and still is a regualr food and its not crazy to have it once or twice a week during the summer.

Steak ain't like poultry. It doesn't have an endemic parasite like salmonella to make one sick. You could sear a steak and serve it raw on the inside and it'd still be safe to eat. So it's largely a matter of personal taste.

People who like theirs "well-done" tend to like sauces like leftover ketchup packets from McDonald's.

Seriously -- use steakunms -- Go buy a cheap pack of stewing beef and cook it peice by peice on a cast iron pan. Have some good dipping sauces ready (they are stew beef chunks -- not ribeye -- sauce is alright here) practice searing those little guys one by one and then eating while you go. Practice makes perfect and stew beef is cheap and when you sear it up in a really hot cast iron they come out like tiny steaks.

And here's where I get to whip out my phone and call bullsh*t. Stew beef is typically chuck. Tough as hell. It requires low and slow cooking while wet to make it chewable. Unless your butcher sells sirloin for stew, OR you slice these suckers into inch-square pieces, they are nowhere near as tender as a properly prepared steak.

/my little sister once mixed stew chuck and sirloin for steak tips//she blamed the sirloin for the toughness because it was grass-fed///different parts of the cow have different densities based on how much work that muscle did? UNPOSSIBLE!

ronaprhys:It's not even difficult to get even heat. Spread the coals out and put the farking lid back on. That way you cook the whole steak and absorb the flavor from the coals. Seriously, not difficult. A thick 1.5-2lb steak takes 4 minutes per side, rest for 5 minutes, eat (with a bottle of wine as a side, along with some fresh corn cooked on the cob and pretzel rolls).

Yep, that's about it for even heat. I do like to leave a cool spot just in case something's getting too cooked. And ah loves me some roasted-in-the-husk corn! The pretzel rolls sound intriguing... Do tell?

Coach_J:WordyGrrl: Lsherm: myth #11 - charcoal is better than gas. Most people can't get charcoal to provide even temperature, so the steak cooks unevenly. Gas is better.

Blasphemy! Gas is for people too lazy to clean a grill after they've used it. If you're going to cook steaks with gas, you may as well do it indoors on a stove. As for charcoal not providing even temperature, if great-great-grandma could cook on a stove fueled by chunks of wood, then by gawd, you can learn to cook with chunks of charcoal. Also, flaaaaavor does not come from gas.

A whole lot of MFing THIS.

High five, coach! Getting even heat isn't difficult. Cleaning a grill isn't that hard. You can always rub the cooking grate with a chunk of raw onion to prevent sticking (and add some nice flavor). Wait until the coals are dead and gone, then scoop it out with a garden trowel.

Saborlas:And here's where I get to whip out my phone and call bullsh*t. Stew beef is typically chuck. Tough as hell. It requires low and slow cooking while wet to make it chewable. Unless your butcher sells sirloin for stew, OR you slice these suckers into inch-square pieces, they are nowhere near as tender as a properly prepared steak.

They are not as tender -- i agree -- but the idea is to practice cooking meat so its still red inside while having a tasty and inexpensive snack -- and it CAN be tender -- just slice it into thirds across the grain. Flank steak is damn tough but london broil is freaking fine ass food.... Its not going to compare to a rib eye steak but for 4 bucks a pack at the store its a steal -- compared to a similar amount of steak its like a 1/5 the price -- and cooked right it can turn out like steaks -- slice your meat -- i know they are tiny -- give half of each piece to your wife or something

Wait -- 1 inch squares? Thats what i'm talking about -- the chopped 1 inch cubes of stewing beef. You can buy them in the little styrofoam packs... And then you snip those into two or three bite sized bits after its cooked so its super tender little steaky morsels good for dipping...